WHAT'S HAPPENING Free Copy OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HIGH POINT MODEL CITY COMMISSION June 23,1972 By End of Agency^s Third Year Model Cities Bringing Over $10 Million By the end of Model Cities’ Third Action Year, which will begin August 1, the local agency will have pumped more than $10 million into High Point’s economy. The Third Action Year, which is expected to receive final approval by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) soon, will mark the third consecutive year in which the local Model Cities program has been granted an annual total of $1,770,000 by the federal department. Using these supplemental monies as leverage, High Point Model Cities has attracted an additional total of $4,755,954 from other sources. To date, better than $3.5 million of the HUD supplemental monies have been spent. By the end of the up coming fiscal year, the local agency is expected to have spent $5,277,295 in these funds. The total budget available for spending including HUD grants and matching funds, will have been $10,- 033,249. The impact of this amount on High Point ’s wide-spread, and has made an effect on many aspects of the com munity’s development. A thorough study of this impact will be made in the coming years by Model Cities’ relatively new evalu ation system. The funds to be administered by High Point’s Model Cities by the end of Third Action Year (July 31, 1973) are distributed as follows: Health and Social Services — $3,- 266,893, or 32 percent. Education — $2,002,169, or 20 per cent. Housing and Physical Environment — $1,714,027, or 17 percent. Cultural Center’s Summer Program Holds Registration Registration for Model Cities Cul tural Arts’ summer program is continu ing at the center at 417 Walnut Street. The program began June 12 and will continue through August 25. In struction and creativity in music, art and drama will be offered. During the summer months, Cul tural Arts will open on a 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. schedule. Instrumental music, chorus and in troduction to piano keyboard will be available, as will beadcraft, leather craft, fine arts and art history. Young sters may also enroll in the drama program, which will include set de sign, stagecraft, and preparation of three one-act plays. Time and dates for try-outs and re hearsals will be posted. Classes will be held according to age group. For more information, call director Thurman DuBose at 885-0759. Economic and Manpower Develop ment — $1,159,971, or 12 percent. Program Administration — $964,854, or 10 percent. Evaluation and Citizen Participa tion — $397,514, or 4 percent. Crime and Juvenile Delinquency — $338,195, or 3 percent. Recreation and Culture — $18,626, or 2 percent. In addition. Model Cities was in strumental in building two housing subdivisions for low-income families: London Woods and Farmington For est. Together these housing projects represent a budget of approximately $5,450,000 and when completed, will provide homes for nearly 330 families. A total of 272 jobs have been creat ed as a direct result of Model Cities in High Point. Countless persons have or will re ceive job training of some sort as a result of Model Cities projects such as Comprehensive Manpower to en hance their chances competing in the employment market. Small minority businessmen, too, are receiving a boost with the help of the High Point Business Development Corporation, another Model Cities project. Although many of Model Cities pro jects are geared particularly to it§ tar get area, the Model Neighborhood, the social benefits and economic im pact of its presence is felt city-wide. HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES (38%) $2,420,927 RECREATION AND CULTURE (2%) J141,477 EDUCATION (15%) $959,176 PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION (10%) $635,539 TOTAL MODEL CITIES PROGRAM $6,378,011 EVALUATION AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION (4%) $237,766 HOUSING AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT (17%) $1,096,452 CRIME AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY (3%) $209,599 ECONOMIC AND MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT (11%) 1 $677,075 I Where the Money Has Gone Distribution of funds through end of Second Fiscal Year, July 31, 1972 Model Cities Comprehensive Plan Far-Reaching, Has City-wide Impact How does the “Model Cities pro cess” pay off? What are the results of citizen involvement in the planning which has occurred, the allocation of funds, and the evaluation of project performance? What difference has Model Cities made in High Point? These questions are asked more and more frequently by people from all over High Point. At this time, on the verge of Model Cities’ Third Action Year, some of the results have been assessed. The following effects on the com munity have been documented by program area: EDUCATION Three primary concerns were re vealed in the Model Cities process — the lack of services for pre-school children, both normal and handicap ped; few opportunities for career and vocational education in the public school system; and the inability of most Model Neighborhood residents to attend college. In concert with county, state and federal agencies, the Model City Com mission established the Fore-See Agency, a division of Guilford Tech nical Institute. This agency is the um brella agency and coordinating com munity mechanism for pre-school de velopmental programs in the city. Three years ago, there were fewer than 25 Model Neighborhood chil dren enrolled in professionally direct ed pre-school developmental pro grams. Today there are 300. The problems involved in estab lishing a broad-based career and vo cational education curriculum within the public school system are being ad dressed by task forces and local, state and federal school officials. The prob lems have been identified and pub licized by Model Cities; this step, in itself, is the first step toward some remedial action. With the cooperation of A & T State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Model Cities has been able to pro vide college educations for 200 stu dents who otherwise would not be able to afford it. This program will particularly impact upon the city when these young persons return to High Point to take their place as com munity leaders. In addition to these primary thrusts. Model Cities has also been respon sible for devising a city-wide plan for a learning disabilities program and continues to sponsor summer re medial projects for 50 students who have fallen behind academically in the regular school session. HEALTH Primary family health care remains the priority for Model Cities efforts in this program area. The recent co alition formed between Model Cities and United Community Services will, hopefully, lead to the establishment of a viable primary care system for citizens who, for a number of rea sons, find it difficult to enter the existing health resources in the city. Model Cities, meanwhile, has estab lished the Demonstration Health Cen ter in the Southside. It is hoped that this center will serve as an entry and screening center in the system pre sently under development. In support of High Point Memorial (Continued on Page 2)

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